Italy will not adopt U.S., UK electronics ban for flights

Reuters Staff

1 Min Read

ROME, March 23 (Reuters) - Italy announced on Thursday it would not follow the U.S. and Britain in banning travellers using laptops or tablets on certain flights, saying there was not enough evidence to support heightened security measures.

The United States and Britain on Tuesday imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.

Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC held a meeting of security experts on Thursday to discuss the latest information it had received over the threat posed by such devices.

“No evidence has emerged to make it necessary for a further increase in the security measures that are already in force,” ENAC said in a statement, adding it would continue to monitor the situation. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Toby Davis)